


We Are Young

by WhiteDalvaria



Series: We Are Young [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I’ll add characters as they come in, Old tumblr fic, Other, RT Baby AU, Since Barb is only mentioned for now I won't add her to the characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-05 21:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15872430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteDalvaria/pseuds/WhiteDalvaria
Summary: From tumblr: Some family cuteness with Gav as Geoff and Griffon’s adopted son :3 Maybe a few cute moments as he grows up and Geoff and Griffon try and make him a Mama/Daddies boy?Another baby AU to add to the collection. Not the same universe as Lean on Me.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite part about myself is starting 900 fics and then finishing them in a weird order. :D

Gavin Free was only two years old when his parents moved to America. Having been so young and without friends or playmates, the move was relatively easy for the young lad. The new start in a new country would hardly affect him.

When he was four, his parents were killed in a car accident. With no family in the United States, and no established contact with his family back in England, Gavin was taken in as a ward of the state of Texas and placed in an overfilled orphanage. When Gavin saw that there were other kids to play with, he did his best to be friendly, but the kids in the orphanage were nothing like the kids he’d met in the park. These kids were mean, and made fun of Gavin’s accent. So, Gavin left them alone, and played by himself. He didn’t like it here. He just wanted his mommy and daddy. He just wanted to go home.

Three months before his fifth birthday, Gavin saw some hope. The orphanage began to see regular visits from a tattooed couple, and Gavin was absolutely mesmerized by them. They’d been spending a lot of time talking to Gavin, and then the head of the orphanage, and they were nice. They didn’t make fun of him for having a British accent, and they liked hearing him talk about his cool-looking block structures. Gavin liked the tall man because he was big and strong, like his daddy, and he liked the nice lady because she reminded him of his mother; kind and caring, with enough love to go around. He’d seen other couples come in and talk to him before, but those ones never came back. As much as he liked this new couple, he didn’t hold much hope for them. He was stuck being alone.

It was a surprise when the last couple, known as the Ramsey’s, took him out to play for the first time. That first time merged into a second, and then a third, before Gavin got the news that the Ramsey’s were going to take him home forever. It was overwhelming for the child, but also exciting. He was going to have a home again!

When he arrived to his new home, he felt like he’d been there forever. Neither adult pressured him to call them ‘mom’ or ‘dad’, as he would do so whenever he felt comfortable. For the first time in forever, he felt loved. Griffon, the nice lady, would make him cookies and read to him. She’d even listen to him as he tried to read a story to _her_ , even if he had to make up the words if he couldn’t read them by looking at the pictures. The tall, strong man, Geoff, took him outside and taught him how to play catch, even if he wasn’t very good at it. At night, they’d watch movies with Griffon or play video games together until Gavin fell asleep. Sometimes, Geoff would fall asleep first!

–

It was no secret that Geoff and Griffon Ramsey wanted a child. Though each attempt ended unsuccessfully for them, they refused to give up.

It was much later on that Griffon found out she couldn’t have children, and her heart was crushed. How would she be able to start her little family now? In a matter of quick thinking, Geoff brought up the idea of adoption, which Griffon had decided to think on. The next day, Geoff and Griffon found themselves at the local orphanage.

The overfull orphanage had many kids they could have chosen from, but only one managed to catch their eyes. The small blonde with blue/green eyes that sat by himself every day, looking out the window and daydreaming. Griffon would always remember the way his eyes lit up when the orphanage director said that they wanted to meet him. She knew then that he was the one. The child – named Gavin – fit in with them instantly, babbling like crazy and giving them the best hugs. They didn’t want to leave him there, but they always promised to come back the next day. Soon enough, the paperwork was sorted out, and Gavin Free-Ramsey came to live with them.

While Geoff and Griffon were ready to give him all the time he needed to adjust, they found that it didn’t take him long. Though he’d had every reason to be sad, he was full of live, and had a lot of love to give. Geoff and Griffon then knew that they couldn’t have chosen better.

Maybe, Griffon thought, life worked the way it did for a reason.


	2. Gavin's Camera

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the only reason I'm updating this before Panacea is because I have most of this one pre-written. D:

Though the Ramsey’s had only taken Gavin into their lives a few months ago, they noticed his adapting period had been rather short. He hadn’t made any friends yet, having chosen to follow Geoff and Griffon around like a baby duck, but he was slowly showing interest in things outside the house.

“Griffy…” The short five-year-old tugged on Griffon’s pant leg to get her attention, and looked up at her with innocent eyes. “I have a question…”

Griffon smiled and knelt to his height. “Go ahead, Gav. What do you need?”

“Well…” The Brit looked down at the ground, as if embarrassed to be asking for anything. “I wanted to… Uh… Can I have a video camera?”

“A video camera?” Griffon showed genuine confusion on her face. “Whatever for?”

“Well… I saw you and Geoffy taping some of your cool chainsaw stuff the other night, and I wanted to do that too!” His eyes suddenly lit up, and he bounced in place. “I really wanna try! Please, Griffy? I promise to be careful!”

The tattooed female just chuckled. “Well, okay. I might have an old camera put away. Will that be good?”

Gavin nodded excitedly. “Yeah! That’d be top!”

Part of Griffon was glad that the child was so agreeable; if he accidentally broke the old camera, there’d be no loss. But she’d have to remember to buy him a better one when he got older. “Let me go into my room and get it.” With a nod from Gavin, Griffon disappeared beyond her bedroom door. When she reemerged with the camera a few moments later, he was still waiting patiently. “Here you go, Gav. Just stay in the yard if you want to take it outside, okay?”

“Yay! Thanks, Griffy!” Gavin gave her a toothy grin and bolted out the back door.

Geoff had to expertly dodge the child as he walked through the door, having entered through the door Gavin disappeared behind. “What got him so eager suddenly?”

“He asked if I had a video camera he could use,” Griffon responded. “I relented and gave him one of our old ones. He thought it was the best thing in the world.”

“Well, he hasn’t gotten many things like that since his parents passed.” Geoff shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. “Well, be ready for a lot of blurry videos. I just know he’s going to show us each one.”

–

Gavin had long since grown tired of recording cars as they drove by, and the bugs on the ground didn’t appeal to him, so he decided to hunt around the back yard for something new. As he was scanning the area, he saw a few leaves fall from a tree, and he got an idea. Waiting for the wind to pick up again, he lifted the camera and recorded the leaves as they blew around. After watching the playback, he decided it was too boring, and turned around to go back inside. However, the camera slipped out of his hands and it fell to the ground, a few buttons being pressed in the process.  _Oh no!_ Gavin panicked.  _What if I broke it?!_

When Gavin picked the camera up, he was relieved to find that it was still working. However, the video that he was watching just moments ago was now playing slowly, as if it had been submerged in syrup. “Wow, this is cool! I gotta show Griffy!” A grin was now spread across the child’s face, and he ran into the house and up to Griffon. “Griffy! Griffy! Look what I did?”

“What did you do?” Griffon’s voice was peaked with interest.

“I made the leaves go all slow and stuff!” He shoved the camera into Griffon’s face. “I dropped the camera on accident, but the video looks so cool!”

Griffon decided not to scold him for dropping the camera; Gavin looked so proud of himself, and she had already anticipated a drop or two. “That looks great, sweetie. Why don’t you go show Geoff? Maybe he can teach you how to make things slow without dropping it.”

“Yeah!” He then took off, headed towards the garage, where Geoff was working on the car.

Griffon just chuckled.  _He’s so smart. He’ll be better at using that camera than Geoff is by tomorrow!_

–

In the weeks that followed, the old video camera quickly became Gavin’s favorite item, and was hardly seen without the device. Griffon had spent an hour convincing him that the camera wouldn’t disappear overnight, and that he didn’t need to sleep with it. And, as she predicted, he figured out a lot of the various functions it had, including the night vision and slow-mo options.

“Maybe one day I’ll have an even better camera!” Gavin bragged one morning. “And then I’ll be able to record even better things! Maybe I’ll even make a movie one day! Do you think I can, Griffy?”

“You can do whatever you want when you get older,” Griffon responded with a smile. “I know that you’ll be great at whatever you do. But you’ve got a while to wait; don’t rush. For now, though, we’re going grocery shopping.”

Gavin nodded. “Can I bring the camera, Griffy?”

Normally, Griffon would say no, but for once she couldn’t resist the puppy-dog eyes her adopted son was giving her. She nodded. “All right, Gav. But just this once.”


	3. Gavin's Friend

In Geoff and Griffon’s eyes, the summer flew by far too quickly. It seemed like only yesterday that they had given Gavin his camera, though reality had slapped them in the face, reminding them that three months had passed. Geoff had found himself shopping for school supplies with Gavin while Griffon finished his kindergarten registration.

“Ooh! Geoffy, can I have the Creeper bag?!” Gavin ran up to the backpack in question, holding it up proudly. “Please?! I’ll be careful not to ruin it and I’ll be good forever and-”

Geoff just chuckled, taking the backpack from Gavin and tossing it in the cart. “Sure thing, Gav. Your first year in school needs to be perfect. Creeper backpacks and all.”

As the toddler continued to bounce from item-to-item, admiring the many different things on display, he asked “Do you think I’ll make friends at school?”

“Hm?” Geoff turned to Gavin. “What was that?”

“I want to make friends, but I’ve never really done it before.” Gavin shrugged. “Do you think people will want to be my friend?”

“I’m sure you’ll make a lot of friends, Gav.” Geoff laughed and ruffled his son’s hair. “You’re a good kid. Now let’s finish up. Griffy’s outside waiting for us.”

–

The following morning, Geoff and Griffon noticed a change in Gavin’s behavior as they got him ready for school. He was more nervous than the previous night. “Is something wrong, Gavin?” Griffon inquired. “You look scared.”

“I don’t wanna leave,” Gavin admitted with a sniffle. “I’ll miss you and Geoffy when I’m gone… And what if you aren’t here when I get home?”

“Gavin, we’ll still be here when you get back.” Geoff smiled reassuringly.

The Brit looked up at him. “Promise?”

“I promise, buddy.”

Griffon nodded. “I promise. We aren’t going anywhere.”

Gavin perked up, hearing the promise from both of his parents, and he nodded. “Okay.”

“That’s the spirit, buddy!” Geoff lifted the small boy onto his shoulders, while Griffon grabbed his backpack. “Now come on, the bus will be here any minute.”

As they reached the end of the walkway, the long yellow vehicle pulled up, and screeched to a halt in front of the house. Geoff and Griffon gave Gavin a final hug before nudging him towards the bus. “We’ll see you after school, okay Gav?”

“Okay…” He looked nervous again, but nodded. “Bye Geoffy! Bye Griffy!”

–

The bus ride was long and boring, and Gavin was relieved when they finally arrived at the school. Eager to get up and look around, he jumped out of the bus and stared at the school building. It wasn’t large by normal means, but to Gavin, it was one of the biggest buildings he’d ever seen. It was even bigger than the orphanage. He wanted to spend a few more moments observing the area, but he could see the older kids starting to swarm, so he quickly stepped aside to avoid them. Looking at the ground to avoid making eye contact, he fell back when he rammed into a bigger body. “I’m sorry!” he squeaked, standing to attention quickly.

“Get out of the way, shrimp,” the older kid sneered. “Why don’t you go back home to mommy and daddy?”

Gavin felt tears form in his eyes, and he looked back down. “I said sorry…” he muttered.

“What did you say?” The older of the two seemed irritated. “I ought to-”

“Hey! Leave him alone, stupid!”

Gavin snapped his head up in time to see another kid – closer to Gavin’s size – run up to stare the older kid in the eye. “He said sorry!” The redheaded child looked determined.

“What are you going to do about it, kid?”

Without thinking, the redhead took his backpack and smacked the older kid with it. “Go away, stupid!”

“Ow! Dumb kid!” But the elder seemed to lose interest after the redhead’s attack, and wandered off to a group of other older kids.

“That was so cool!” Gavin’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You didn’t look scared at all!”

“No way! Not me!” The kid stood proudly. “I’m scary like a bear! Mama calls me Mogar because it sounds tough!” The redhead giggled. “But my name is Michael!”

“I’m Gavin!”

Michael’s nose scrunched up in confusion. “Your voice sounds funny.”

Gavin just pouted. “So does yours.”

The curly-haired child just laughed. “Hey! You’re cool though, even with a funny voice. Wanna be friends, Gavin?”

“Yeah! That sounds top! I’ve never had a friend before!”

Michael cheered, before grabbing Gavin’s wrist. “Come on, Gav. Let’s go find our classroom, okay? My brother says that Ms. Dunkelman is real nice!”

–

The two children found themselves easily distracted throughout the day, unable to go even a brief time without talking to each other. Ms. Dunkelman had tried scolding them for disrupting class, but didn’t act on her words. The first day  _was_  time to get to know each other, after all. By the end of the school day, Gavin was sad to leave. He didn’t want to stop playing with Michael yet. “Michael, will I see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah! We have school every day, ‘cept for weekends and special days like Christmas.” Michael smiled. “I’d better see you tomorrow, or I’ll beat you up.”

Gavin’s eyes widened. “You won’t really beat me up, will you?”

“No way, stupid. But I’ll be mad if you’re not here!” The redhead gave his new friend a small hug. “See you tomorrow, Gav!”

“Bye, Michael!”

–

Gavin nearly bounced off the bus when it pulled up to his house, and he leapt right into Griffon’s ready arms. “Griffy! School is awesome!” He glanced at Geoff, who was standing at the front door. “I love school, Geoffy!”

Griffon laughed at Gavin’s antics and carried the hyper child inside. “I’m glad you had fun. What did you do today?”

“Well, it started out bad ‘cuz this big kid was mean to me when I ran into him on accident. I said sorry but he just didn’t wanna be nice, but then this other kid came over and scared him away! When I asked if he was scared he said no because he’s not scared of anything! He’s really cool!”

Geoff smiled. “What’s his name?”

“His name is Michael, and we’re friends now!”

“See? We told you you’d make friends.” Griffon set Gavin down and sat on the couch. “Do you want to go to school again tomorrow?”

Gavin nodded excitedly. “Yeah! I wanna see Michael again!”

“I’m glad.” She nodded in approval. “Why don’t you go play outside for a little while so I can get dinner ready?”

“All right!”


	4. Gavin’s First Playdate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last prewritten chapter! Panacea WILL be the next thing I update!

While Gavin found school enjoyable, he had also found that the routine of getting up early and constantly moving throughout the day was more tiring than he thought. Still, he made sure to go to school excited every day, and he always made sure he was sitting next to Michael. The already-close friends had found themselves in trouble often, but neither of them had seen it as a problem. Until Griffon brought it up to him one night.

“Gavin, I heard from Mrs. Dunkelman that you’re talking in the middle of class,” Griffon brought up. “What’s going on?”

“Uh…” Gavin refused to meet Griffon’s stern stare. “I just… I get so excited when I see Michael at school that I just can’t help but talk, even if I know better! I’m not doing it to be mean, Griffy, I’m just ‘cited to have a friend!”

Griffon nodded carefully. “I’m glad you have a friend, Gavin. I really am. But do you know why it’s a problem that you’re not listening to Mrs. Dunkelman?” Gavin shook his head. “The teacher is trying very hard to help you learn things you’ll need to know later, and if you’re too busy talking to Michael, you’re not listening to what she has to say. That isn’t fair to her, is it, Gavin?”

“No…” Gavin sniffed, and gave Griffon a sad look. “I’m sorry, Griffy…”

“Don’t cry, Gav. We all make mistakes sometimes, and through making those mistakes, we learn how not to do it again.” Griffon smiled warmly. “Now I’ve got a question for you. If I let Michael come over and play tomorrow, can you promise me that you’ll hold off on talking to Michael until it’s appropriate, like during recess and at lunch?”

Gavin’s face immediately lit up, and he nodded, bouncing in place. “That would be top! Yes! I’ll be good forever! Can he really come over, Griffy?”

“Of course, he can. I asked Michael’s mom about it when we were at the meeting, and she would be happy if Michael got to spend some time with you.” The tattooed female smiled at her son’s excitement. “She even said that he could stay for a sleepover. But you need to promise me that you’ll do what I asked, okay?”

“Yeah! I promise!”

“That’s my boy.” Griffon nodded. “Now, let’s get you ready for bed. You’ve got school tomorrow, and then you have a whole weekend to play with Michael.”

“Okay!”

–

The next day at school seemed to drag on forever, but Gavin tried his hardest to be quiet during class time so Griffy wouldn’t get upset with him again. He kept to his word and only played with Michael during free time and recess, and by the end of the day, both boys were nearly vibrating with excitement. When the afternoon bus pulled up to Gavin’s house, Michael and Gavin tore out of the bus and towards the house in a full sprint, only to run into Geoff on his way out the door. “Woah, slow down, you two. No running in the house. Right, Gavin?”

“Yeah, sorry!” Gavin giggled. “No running inside, Michael. Let’s go play in the back yard! I’ll show you my camera!” The small Brit lead Michael into the house, tossing his school things on the couch and grabbing the old camera off his nightstand. “It’s old, but Griffy said she’d get me a new one when I learned, uh… I don’t remember the word she used. ‘sponsibility or something.”

“What do you record with it?” Michael looked at the object with interest.

“Geoffy showed me how to use this weird setting on it that records things in like… super slow speed. It looks super cool!”

“Let’s go record some things, then!”

Griffon watched both boys run outside, and a smile spread across her face. Her distracted state allowed Geoff to sneak up behind her, jumping her slightly. “Jesus, Geoff. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“I don’t think you would have heard a bomb go off unless it involved those kids,” Geoff said with a laugh. “You were in your own world, Griff.” He glanced at the boys in the yard. “He’s growing up fast, isn’t he?”

“Too fast. He’s small right now, but it’ll seem like only a year’s gone by when he’s in high school, getting ready to graduate.” Griffon smiled sadly. “I just want to cherish the trivial things, because he’ll want nothing to do with me in no time. He’s such a good kid, and Michael’s been good for boosting his social skills.”

Geoff nodded his agreement. “I was worried for a while that he wouldn’t make any friends because he’s so quiet when he meets new people. But the next day, all I heard was ‘Michael this’ and ‘Michael that’. Don’t forget ‘Oh, Geoffy! My new friend Michael is so cool!’ He was so proud of himself.”

“As he should be.” Griffon turned away from the door. “Help me cook dinner, won’t you? The boys are bound to come inside soon and insist they’re starving to death.”

–

“Griffy! Griffy, look!” Gavin ran up to his mother, shoving the camera in her face. “I made a video of Michael running and made it slow, and it looks cool!”

Taking the camera from the child, she watched the short video and smiled. “Looks great, Gav.” She watched as Michael finally walked inside, hands covered in dirt. “I’m guessing you boys played in the sandbox?”

“We started in the sandbox, Mrs. Ramsey,” Michael started. “But then we just played in the dirt. Gavin tasted some, but he thought it was yucky.”

“Hey! You tasted some, too!” Gavin stuck his tongue out at Michael. “But yeah, he’s right. It was yucky, and I can still taste it.”

Griffon just laughed and shook her head. “I bet you won’t do that again. Gavin, take Michael and get washed up, will you? Dinner will be ready in a minute.”

“Sure. This way, Michael.” Gavin dragged his friend towards the bathroom. “Griffy loves my videos. She said that someday, I can even put them on the net where she puts her chainsaw videos!”

“Mrs. Ramsey uses chainsaws?” Michael’s eyes widened. “That’s so cool! Your parents are awesome!”

“Yeah they are! And Griffy’s cooking is great, too. Come on, Michael. Let’s go before Geoffy eats it all!”

–

Gavin sat atop the counter, helping Griffon put clean dishes away while Michael was on the phone with his mother. “Griffy, do you think me and Michael can use the Xbox to play Minecraft before bed? I promise we won’t touch any of Geoffy’s games!”

Griffon raised an eyebrow. “You’re not even supposed to know about his games… But if you stay on Minecraft, I don’t mind. Not for too long, though. I don’t want you two to be overtired tomorrow.”

“Yay! Thanks, Griffy!” Gavin gave her a hug and finished putting the dishes away. After Griffon set him back on the floor, he ran into the living room. “Griffy said we can play Minecraft on the Xbox!”

“Get changed into your pajamas first!” Geoff called.

The two excited boys ran off in separate directions, changing into their pajamas quickly, and bolting back out. Michael wore a pair of Ninja Turtle pj pants and a white t-shirt, and Gavin wore a small pair of basketball shorts and one of Geoff’s old football jerseys.

“’scuse me, Mrs. Ramsey?” Michael held his glasses up to the female. “Can you please hang onto these so I don’t lose them? Mama told me to make sure they were in a safe place.”

Griffon nodded and took the delicate frames. “Of course. And you’re welcome to call me Griffon or Griffy if you want, sweetie.” She heard Gavin call for Michael and laughed. “Go on, now. Gavin’s waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Mrs- Uh, Griffy!” Michael giggled and ran into the living room, plopping down on the floor next to Gavin.

Griffon took a seat on the couch, halfheartedly reading a book as she watched the boys interact. She laughed as they learned how to build a house, and as they had to keep rebuilding because of the creepers. Shortly after she stopped paying attention to her book, she noticed that the boys had fallen asleep in the middle of playing, laying belly-first on the floor with controllers loose in their hands. “Geoff,” she called quietly. “Come and help me get the boys into bed.”

Geoff wandered into the living room and chuckled, snapping a picture of the sleeping boys with his phone before picking Michael up, headed for Gavin’s bedroom. “I’m not surprised that they’re exhausted. They’ve been running around nonstop since they got home, and it’s way past their bedtime.”

“It was Gavin’s first sleepover. I wasn’t going to make him go to bed early.” Griffon used her foot to roll out the tuck-away bed under Gavin’s bed once the toddler was laid down, allowing Geoff to lay Michael down. “My poor, tired boys.” After making sure both boys were tucked in, she shoed Geoff out of the room. “Good night, Gavin. Good night, Michael. Sweet dreams.” She then turned on the night light in the corner and closed the door.


	5. Gavin's Fall

“Hey Michael.”

“What is it, Gavin?”

“Do you ever wonder how birds fly?”

Michael giggled. “That’s a dumb question. They fly because they have wings. Like planes, and bugs.”

Gavin jumped off his wing, pouting slightly at his best friend. “But what if we had wings? Would we be able to fly, or are we too heavy?”

“I dunno, dummy.” Michael cuffed Gavin playfully on the head. “I’m not a scientist!”

“Hey! I’m not a dummy!” Gavin cuffed Michael back in retaliation, and before long, the two boys were rolling around on the school playground, wrestling, but trying not to actually hurt each other.

“Michael Jones! Gavin Ramsey!” A teacher walked up to them, stopping them in their tracks. “Why are you two fighting?”

Michael stood up, helping Gavin up in the process. “We’re not fighting, Miss. We’re just playing!” His brown eyes rounded innocently. “Right, Gavvy?”

“Yeah!” Gavin nodded in agreement. “That’s really it, I promise!”

The teacher seemed to lighten up a bit and nodded. “All right, I won’t send you inside this time, but no roughhousing, understand? We play nice here.”

The duo nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”

When the teacher walked away, Michael stuck his tongue out and snorted. “What a buzzkill.”

“Yeah.” Gavin frowned, but then smiled. “Maybe we can ask Griffy and your mum to take us to the park when we get home from school!”

“That sounds like lots of fun!” Michael jumped in place. “I’ll call you when I get home if mama says yes! She wants me to play outside more, so that shouldn’t be too hard. And mama won’t get mad if we wrestle a little!”

The teacher then blew the recess whistle, signaling that the kids had to go inside. Both Michael and Gavin whined, but remembering the evening they had planned, they put a spring in their step and ran back inside, excited for the day to be over.

\--

Gavin spun around with glee, holding the phone to his ear. “Really? Awesome! I’ll ask Griffy now! Bye, Michael!” The small Brit hung up the phone and hopped into Geoff and Griffon’s room, where Griffon was sorting laundry. “Griffy! Can we go to the park? Michael’s gonna be there!”

“Is he? Well then, how can I say no?” Griffon chuckled and watched Gavin bounce in place, smiling wildly. “Go change out of your school clothes, and we can go once I’m done with this, okay?”

The child looked like he could have exploded in excitement. “Thanks mama Griffy! You’re the best!” Gavin gave her a hug and darted out of the bedroom, seemingly unaware of what he’d said, and leaving Griffon awestricken.

“Mama Griffy?” She smiled to herself. “That’s a first.”

Gavin blitzed through the process of changing his clothes, and Griffon laughed at his seemingly endless energy. A lot of kids these days were more inclined to stay inside and play video games, but Griffon was thankful Gavin enjoyed variety. “Ready to go?” she asked, giving the small toddler a glance-over.

“Yeah!” Gavin practically vibrated as he nodded. “Can I bring the camera with us, Griffy?”

Griffon shook her head. “Not today, Gav. There’ll be lots of kids at the park, and I don’t want anyone trying to take it from you. Let’s leave it here where it’ll be safe, okay?”

Gavin pouted, but nodded his understanding. “Can we at least walk to the park today?”

“Of course, we can!” She held out her hand for Gavin to take. “Let’s go. We can’t keep Michael waiting.”

\--

“Michael!” Gavin ran up to his friend the minute he spotted the redhead. Michael was looking up at the twisted slide and failed to notice Gavin until the Brit tackled him into the ground. Griffon and Michael’s mother simply laughed, heading over to a bench to talk, and leaving the boys to play by themselves.

Michael made a loud ‘oof’ noise before colliding with the soft grass but laughed when he noticed Gavin was laughing too. “Gavvy! If you’d been heavy, that would’ve hurt!”

“What? No way! Nothing can hurt the scary and powerful Mogar!” Gavin giggled. “You’re unstoppable!”

“Wait, if I’m scary, then that means I gotta get you!” Michael let out an exaggerated roar and hopped up from the ground. “You’d better run, or Mogar will get you!”

Screaming, Gavin stood up and ran away, Michael hard on his heels. He and Michael were both laughing happily, especially when Michael barreled Gavin over, and they rolled around in the grass for a few moments. “Oh no! You’ve got me Mogar!”

Michael giggled for a few moments before he released Gavin. “So, what do you wanna do?”

“That!” Gavin shot up and pointed at the monkey bars. “I wanna climb the monkey bars! I’ve never done that before!” He offered a hand to Michael and helped the slightly older boy stand up.

“I dunno, Gavvy.” Michael’s eyes shifted nervously. “The monkey bars look scary, and they’re way high up!”

“I can climb them first, if you want!”

Michael nodded sheepishly. “Only if you’re careful, dummy.”

“Come on, then.” Gavin took Michael’s hand and lead him over to the monkey bars, smiling the whole time. “Okay, here I go!”

“Be careful, Gavvy!” Michael watched nervously as his friend climbed up to the top, swinging around until he was standing on the top. “Wow, Gavin, you did it! You’re even braver than Mogar!”

Gavin nodded triumphantly. “Are you coming up, Michael?”

“I dunno… I don’t want to.” Michael looked down. “It’s still kinda scary.”

“Don’t come up, then. I’ll come down!” Gavin crouched, reaching for one of the bars so he could swing down, but his foot slipped as he shifted. He screamed as he fell, and he landed on the grass with a sickening ‘thud’.

Michael gasped, running over to the small Brit. “Gavin!”

Gavin sat up, his eyes filling with tears. He cradled his left arm to his chest as it started to hurt. He wanted Griffon. He sniffled before letting out an ear-piercing cry.

Griffon instantly perked up at the familiar cry, and shot over to where the sound was coming from. Gavin was sitting on the ground, surrounded by Michael and a few other kids she didn’t recognize. “What happened?”

“Mum, it hurts!” Gavin cried.

“He fell of the monkey bars, Griffy.” Michael looked about ready to cry himself. “I’m sorry!”

Griffon lifted Gavin in her arms carefully, avoiding the arm he was holding so tenderly. “It’ll be okay, baby.” She looked over to Michael. “It’s not your fault, sweetie. Gavin will be okay. I’ll let him call you soon, all right?”

Michael just nodded, wiping a few tears off his own face.

Griffon sent Geoff a quick text and sat on the bench with Gavin, who had refused to calm down since he started crying. “Shh, baby, it’ll be all right. Mum’s got you, okay? Geoff is on the way and you’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

Gavin sniffled and snuggled into Griffon as best as he could without moving his arm. It felt like hours had passed when Geoff finally arrived, his face creased with worry. He barely remembered the trip to the hospital, but he remembered Griffon sitting in the back with him, keeping his arm from hitting anything, or becoming unnecessarily jostled.

When they’d arrived at the ER, it hadn’t taken long for a doctor to see them, and it was determined after an x-ray that his arm was broken. “Griffy?” Gavin’s voice was quiet and sleepy. “Can a broken arm be fixed?”

“Of course, sweetheart. It’ll take a little bit of time, though.” Griffon stroked the child’s hair gently. “It’ll still hurt for a while, so you won’t be able to use it.”

Gavin frowned, looking about ready to cry again, when a nurse came in and interrupted them. Smiling, she walked up to the small boy. “Hi there, Gavin. I’m Kara. I’m going to put the cast on your arm, okay?”

“What’s a cast?” he asked quietly, not looking at Kara.

“It’s like a shell. We’re going to put it around your arm so it doesn’t get hurt while it’s healing.”

Gavin looked at her suddenly. “Like a turtle shell?”

“Exactly like a turtle shell.” Kara smiled softly. “And we have lots of colors. What color would you like?”

“Do you have green? I want it to look just like a turtle shell!”

She nodded. “We do. Good choice. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Kara had been quick with the procedure, and Gavin was soon sent home with orders of no rough play and plenty of rest. “Griffy, how long do I have to wear the cast?” Gavin asked, prodding at the hard, green cast around his arm.

“Miss Kara said about six weeks, baby. But you’ll be better before you know it, and then you’ll be wrestling with Michael again.” Griffon smiled at the young Brit. “I promise.”

“Well, does that mean I can watch TV with you after school, Geoff?” The child giggled tiredly, leaning against Geoff’s arm as they sat on the couch.

“Of course you can, buddy.” Geoff patted Gavin’s head lightly. “You can even try helping Griffy with dinner if you want. You just need not be careful.”

“Okay. Thanks, Geoffy.” Gavin yawned and closed his eyes, and before long, he was snoring softly.

Geoff smiled down at Gavin and shifted, laying the child down on the couch and covering him with a blanket. “He must be exhausted.”

“My poor baby. His first broken bone.” Griffon smiled sadly, “I should have been watching him better.”

“All kids get hurt sometimes, Griffon. It’s not your fault.” He wrapped his tattooed arms around his wife. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know. It just makes me sad, is all.” She leaned into Geoff and yawned slightly. “Come on, it’s late. Gavin has the right idea.”

Geoff lifted Gavin up off the couch, blanket and all, and brought him down to his and Griffon’s room. He laid the child in the center of the bed before turning off the lights and climbing in himself. Gavin didn’t sleep with his parents often, but for tonight, the pair figured they’d make an exception.


	6. Gavin's Superhero Sidekick [Finale]

After giving Gavin a few days to adjust to his temporary handicap, Griffon realized it was time to send him back to school. Walking the child up wouldn’t be easy, giving how he’d been allowed to sleep in the past few days, but Gavin had already fallen a bit behind, and she knew Michael was worried about his friend. Peering into Gavin’s room, her eyes fell on the sleeping form of her normally-rambunctious toddler. Or where he was supposed to be.

“Gavin?” Griffon stepped into the dimly-lit room. She turned to flip the light switch, but at that exact moment, Gavin jumped out from behind his closet door, letting out a roar and jumping Griffon. “Jesus, Gavin!”

“I scared you, didn’t I, Griffy?” Gavin grinned from ear-to-ear; with his cheerful demeanor, she could hardly believe he’d broken a bone a few days ago.

Griffon chuckled. “You sure did. Well, since you’re awake, let’s get you ready for school. I bet Michael misses you.”

Gavin looked at the floor. But what if the other kids make fun of my cast?”

“Don’t worry about them, Sweetie. Just remember that you have a best friend that loves you very much, and make sure to tell Ms. Dunkelman if they say anything mean to you, okay?” Griffon noticed that the nervous expression never left his face, so she offered him a smile. “You can even have Michael over after school, if you want. But that’s only if you’re not late to school!”

The child giggled, excited about being able to hang out with his friend. “Okay!”

It had taken a while for Gavin to get ready with his handicap, and Griffon had opted to drive him to school rather than be jostled around on the bus, but he soon found himself in the classroom looking for Michael.

“GAVIN!” Michael screamed as he spotted his friend and ran up to him, hugging him tightly. “I thought I was never gonna see you again!”

“Me too! I missed you!” He giggled. “But I’m okay now. And look! My arm looks like it has a turtle shell!”

Michael stared at the cast in awe, but still looked upset. “Does it still hurt?”

Gavin shrugged. “Only if I hit it on something. It’s okay, Michael. Griffy said it was an accident, and that means that it’s okay!”

Before Michael could reply, a smaller kid that neither of them had seen before walked up to them. “That’s a pretty cool cast! It’s green, just like a Ninja Turtle!”

“Thanks!” Gavin assessed the boy that was talking to him; he was shorter than himself or Michael and had brown hair and brown eyes. “I-”

“Who are you?” Michael investigated, sounding harsher than he intended.

The other boy seemed unfazed. “I’m Jeremy! I just moved here, so I’m new.”

“Oh.” Michael nodded his understanding. “I’m Michael.”

“And I’m Gavin!” The excitement in his voice caused Gavin to squeak. “Wanna be our friend, Jeremy?”

Michael nodded in agreement. “We need another person to play with!”

Jeremy seemed thrilled at the suggestion. “Yeah! Let’s be friends!”

“I’m so happy!” Gavin clapped, but then gasped as he was struck with a sudden thought. “Michael! Griffy said that I could hang out with you after school!” He glanced at Jeremy. “Do you want to come over too, Jeremy? Griffy wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll ask Mama when she comes to pick me up! I’m sure she’ll say yes, since she wants me to make friends!” Jeremy giggled.

Ms. Dunkelman walked up to the trio, hiding a smile at the easy interaction of the three boys. “All right boys, its time to get started. I see you’ve met Jeremy, our new student.”

“Yeah!” Gavin and Michael exclaimed at the same time. “He’s our new friend! Can he sit with us? Please?”

“Oh, all right. But no talking during lessons, okay?” Ms. Dunkelman shooed them to their table before taking her spot at the front, waiting for the seemingly endless chatter to die down before she began.

\--

“Okay, so what should we play today?” Michael stood atop his swing carefully while Jeremy and Gavin sat on the swings on both sides of him.

Gavin shrugged. “We played cops and robbers last time, so maybe we should let Jeremy pick our next game.”

Jeremy blinked slowly. “Uh… superheroes and supervillains?”

“Good idea, Jeremy!” Michael jumped clumsily off the swing, easily brushing away the dirt that covered his knees. “I can be the evil and mighty Mogar!”

“And I’ll be the fast and powerful Vav! I can use my brain powers to defeat evil!” Gavin glanced at Jeremy. “And you can be Lil J, Vav’s super strong sidekick!”

“Yay! I can beat up all the bad guys for you!” Jeremy giggled. “Since your arm is hurt and stuff.”

Gavin and Jeremy both hopped off their swings. “Okay, Mogar. What’s your evil plan that we have to stop?”

“Mogar is going to take over the entire town!” Michael screamed excitedly. “And Vav and Lil J need to take him down!”

“You’ll never get away with your plan, Mogar!” Gavin pointed accusingly at the redhead. “We’ll stop you and bring you to justice!”

“Try and stop me, then!” Michael took off running, laughing maniacally.

Jeremy turned to Gavin. “We’ll save the town and be real superheroes! Let’s go catch Mogar and turn him in!”

“Come back here, Mogar!” Gavin turned to chase after him, Jeremy hard on his heels. He carefully avoided obstacles that he could trip on so he wouldn’t hurt himself more. “Vav and Lil J will stop you at all costs!”

Jeremy sped past Gavin, running to catch up to Michael, and carefully tackled him into the ground. “Where’s your evil lair, Mogar?”

Michael laughed. “You’ll never find it. This town is doomed!”

Gavin caught up, breathing hard. “Well-” Before Gavin could finish his statement, the recess bell rang. “Awwwh, recess is over.”

“We can play again when we hang out after school!” Michael chimed. “And if Jeremy’s mom says yes, we’ll have him to play with, too!”

Jeremy nodded. “Sounds like fun! Let’s go inside before Ms. Dunkelman gets mad, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, Jeremy ran inside, but it didn’t take long for Gavin and Michael to follow suit.

\--

At the end of the day, Michael and Gavin ran up to Griffon while Jeremy went to talk to his mother. “Griffy, guess what? We made a new friend today!” Gavin beamed up at her.

“That’s so nice!” Griffon smiled. “Hello, Michael.”

“Hi Griffy!” Michael squeaked.

“We were wondering if our new friend Jeremy could come over and play with us today!” Gavin looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Please? We made Jeremy my superhero sidekick, and he needs to help me save the world!”

“Oh, you’re a superhero now? Better not tell me or you won’t have a secret identity anymore!” Griffon laughed. “And sure, as long as Jeremy’s mom agrees.”

Jeremy barreled up to them, dragging his mother along with him. “Mama said yes!” He looked up at Griffon and gave her a toothy smile. “You must be Gavin’s mama. Hi!”

Griffon laughed. “And you must be Jeremy. Hi there! I’m Griffon, but you can call me Griffy if you’d like.” She stepped away from the children for a moment, pulling Jeremy’s mother to the side.

“I’m so happy your mum said yes!” Gavin clapped his hands together.

“Me too!” Jeremy looked excited. “Now we can finish playing our game!”

Gavin nodded and watched Griffon come back over. “Are we going home now?”

She nodded. “And I’ve got another surprise; you’re all having a sleepover tonight!” As the three boys cheered happily, she guided them to the door. “Let’s move on then, shall we?”

“Yeah!” Gavin ran towards the car, his two friends in tow.

Griffon sighed, watching the three run towards the parking lot. “Stay close!”

\--

“All right boys,” Griffon started. “Roughhousing stays in the backyard and be careful of Gavin’s arm.”

“Okay, Griffy!” they responded, tearing through the house and into the yard.

“Look!” Gavin shouted. “There’s Lloyd the cat! Hello, Lloyd!”

Michael cackled. “Mogar has a new evil plan!” The curly-haired boy scooped the cat up gently, toddling away from the other two. “Mogar has kidnapped Lloyd the Cat!”

Jeremy gasped. “Vav! We have to rescue Lloyd!”

“You’ll never get away with this!” Gavin called. He ran towards Michael, Jeremy right behind him. “Vav and Lil J will stop you!”

\--

Gavin had never thought things would get better after his parents died. He’d spent what felt like ages cooped up in an orphanage, where he was sure no one would love him. He would never get another good-night kiss, never get to hear his mom laugh, or his dad tease him when he’d miss a catch. He’d never get to experience life the way he should, because he was sure no one would ever want him.

But the small British boy was never expecting to meet Geoff and Griffon. He missed his parents, but Geoff and Griffon had done so much for him, that he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. He was finally happy again. He considered Geoff and Griffon his mom and dad in every sense of the world.

Michael and Jeremy had been a great addition as well. He’d never made any friends, and when he and Michael had first met, it was like they were meant to be friends. He finally had someone he could play with. Jeremy, though they’d just met today, was someone he was sure would be around forever. With his two friends, he could share memories and take on the world. He was grateful every second for both of his best friends.

Gavin had never thought things would get better after his parents died, but he was glad that he was wrong. Life, as he knew it, was more beautiful than he could have ever hoped for.

\--

Griffon had a hard time imagining what she wanted her life to be like, but she never imagined it would turn out like this.

Meeting Geoff was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and she was forever grateful that she took it. She never imagined that the love of her life would be this geeky-yet-handsome boy she’d met in high school. Even when they started dating, they never imagined that things would go as far as they did. Griffon had never expected to be Mrs. Ramsey.

The only time Griffon felt true devastation in her life was her attempt at getting pregnant. She and Geoff had tried for years, only to be told that Griffon would never bear children. Griffon was ready to give up all hope before the option of adoption was thrown onto the table. After all, her true desire was to have a child of her very own. To her, there was no difference between a blood-born child, and a child that wasn’t given a fair chance at a good life. All children deserved a home, blood-related or not. That was how she and Geoff met Gavin Free, the son they could never have.

She wanted to be there for everything, the good and the bad. When he had come home from his first day of school boasting about a friend, she had truly been proud. She has been there to nurse him back to health when he broke his arm, watched him figure out the basic functions of a video camera, and even got to meet his second friend.

Griffon had a hard time deciding what she wanted her life to be like, but as she eyed the sleeping form of three children huddled together on the living room couch, she decided that she had all she ever wanted. The endless love of a son, a husband, and her son’s best friends. What more could a woman ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this ends the first part of We Are Young! Thank you so much for reading. <3 -White


End file.
